Sunday, June 20, 2010

3 days to go and can Friday come any sooner?I'm tired of waiting! Let's start the 2010 World Cup already!

No idea where I'm watching the first match between South Africa and Mexico.I'll have more on that tomorrow.

For now, 3 posts today. So make sure to come back and check out the other material after reading this entertaining, enlightening post.

Today's big news concerns Portugal winger Nani, who's been ruled out of the 2010 World Cup with a collar bone injury.

Nani, who plays for English side Manchester United, suffered the injury in a training session with his national side in Portugal, before leaving for the tournament.

Bad news all around, as Nani is a wonderful talent.

But this tidbit got me to thinking: How many star players are going to miss the World Cup?

Take a look at this list of the injured and the doubtful ... You could field a nice team with all these guys. Also, lots of Germans and Chelsea players on this list, eh?

MICHAEL BALLACK, Germany

The German captain was ruled out of the Cup with an ankle injury after a late challenge during Chelsea's FA Cup final win over Portsmouth in May.

RIO FERDINAND, England

The England captain will miss the finals after injuring his knee in his country's first major training session in South Africa on Friday.

MICHAEL ESSIEN, Ghana

The Ghana midfielder suffered a knee injury at the African Cup of Nations in January and has failed to recover in time.

JOHN OBI MIKEL, Nigeria

The midfielder was forced out of the tournament with a badly bruised ankle suffered in Nigeria's first full contact training session in South Africa on Friday.

LASSANA DIARRA, France

The holding midfielder will not play in South Africa after being told he needed an extended rest because of persistent stomach pains which began during France's week-long training camp in the French Alps last month.

DAVID BECKHAM, England

England's most capped player ruptured his Achilles tendon playing for AC Milan in March.

RENE ADLER, Germany

Germany's first-choice goalkeeper underwent surgery on a rib injury in May and will play no part in the finals.

SIMON ROLFES, Germany

The midfielder ruled himself out of the World Cup after saying he was short of match fitness following knee surgery in January.

CHRISTIAN TRAESCH, Germany

The midfielder, who was considered a possible replacement for captain Michael Ballack, is out after injuring his ankle in a friendly at the squad's training camp in Italy.

HEIKO WESTERMANN, Germany

The defender will miss the tournament after fracturing a bone in his foot during a warm-up win over Hungary last week.

MIROSLAV KARHAN, Slovakia

Slovakia's most capped player has a hamstring injury and will miss his country's first World Cup appearance.

Doubtful

DIDIER DROGBA, Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast's fearsome striker underwent successful surgery on an injured elbow on Saturday but remains a doubt for the finals. Drogba picked up the injury in a World Cup warm-up against Japan on Friday.

ARJEN ROBBEN, Netherlands

The Dutch winger needs a scan to determine the extent of a hamstring injury he suffered in a 6-1 friendly thrashing of Hungary on Saturday.

ANDREA PIRLO, Italy

The Italian midfielder will miss the defending champions' opening game of the tournament against Paraguay, and possibly the whole tournament, after injuring his calf in Thursday's 2-1 friendly defeat by Mexico.

HARRY KEWELL, Australia

The Australian winger has hardly played since December because of a troublesome groin injury.

TIM BROWN, New Zealand

It is unknown if the New Zealand vice-captain will recover in time from surgery on a fractured shoulder suffered in the friendly defeat to Australia last month.

HUMBERTO SUAZO, Chile

Chile's leading striker will reportedly miss their opening World Cup match against Honduras and possibly the second game with Switzerland because of a hamstring injury.

LEE DONG-GUK, South Korea

The South Korean striker was named in the final 23-man squad despite concerns over a thigh problem which is expected to keep him out of their opening game against Greece on June 12.

Having said that, USA's not as bad as many pundits think. They're scrappy, they're quick and with Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley, they have pace and vision.

Expect a tough one before the USA succumbs to the English brawn and power.

2 - South Africa vs. Mexico (June 11, 10 a.m.)

Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg will be rocking for the opening match of the 2010 Cup. South Africa's not a strong team, but Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has provided the squad with much needed structure.

Mexico is consistently one of the quickest, most offensive sides in the world, so this should be a show stopper and a fancy way to open the Cup.

3 - Argentina vs. Nigeria (June 12, 10 a.m.)

The unstable Diego Maradona guides the likes of world player of the year Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain into a match against one of Africa's powerhouses. Who knows what'll happen here?

Expect a raucous atmosphere. It's one of Africa's best hopes of advancing out of the first round against a perennial power, coached by the greatest player of all time.

Must See TV, anyone?

4 - Brazil vs. Portugal (June 25, 10 a.m)

Brazil is the co-favorite to win it all. Portugal boasts the world's most expensive player in Cristiano Ronaldo and a fast, loose style.

Both teams will be looking to finish first in the group, as the second-place side settles into a likely match with co-favorite Spain. So expect a knockout, drag-out fight by these two Portuguese-speaking nations

5 - Ghana vs. Germany (June 23, 2:30 p.m)

Who will feel the injury bug the most: Ghana, who is missing Michael Essien? Or Germany, who is missing Michael Ballack?

The Ghanaians will be hard pressed against the efficient Germans, but their freewheeling style may cause fits of anxiety for the former World Champions.

The pro-African crowd may play a part in this.

All in all, five games that will entertain and excite. What do you think?

Instead of inundate you with 2010 World Cup news a mere 5 days before the first game (South Africa-Mexico), let's ask the top 5 questions for the contenders before the start of the Cup (courtesy of Jesse Spector, New York Daily News although I added some too) ...

1 - Which big-name team is in the most danger of a first-round exit? Brazil? Italy? Portugal?

2 - Can a European team find success on another continent? Favorites Spain, England, Germany and Italy will all try to become the first to win a World Cup outside Europe.

3 - Was Brazil right to leave Ronaldhino out?

4 - Can Lionel Messi play for Argentina like he has for Barcelona?

5 - Which African team will go farthest in the 1st World Cup on the continent? Ivory Coast? Nigeria? Cameroon?

6 - Which team will feel the impact of a players injury the most? Ivory Coast and Didier Drogba? Germany and Michael Ballack? England and Rio Ferdinand?

We all recognize soccer for the beautiful game that itis. And for its power to unite a country as in CoteD'Ivoire and inflame passions between countries, in ElSalvador and Honduras (The Soccer Wars).But it is also the one sport that has seen an intimateconnection and is intertwined in the struggle againstapartheid and South Africa's freedom.The polarization in the races between the WhiteAfrikaaners and the Blacks, Indians, and the Coloredswas reflected in the choice of sports. Cricket andrugby for the colonials and soccer and boxing for theindigenous. The formation of the Orlando Pirates inthe 1930's and in the next decade their rivals, theMoloka Swallows saw the first organized attempts at asoccer league for the blacks. It was a form of escapefrom the grinding poverty and regular harrassment ofthe police. The muddy grounds of the squatter campsand a ball, was all you needed. And the migration ofthousands of people to the outskirts of Johannesburg,Durban, Cape Town looking for jobs provided theaudience and the players. The British form of soccerwas soon transformed and Africanized by incorporatingtraditional customs practised by the Zulus, Xhosas,Ndebeles, and the Coloreds. Soccer became a dynamic,protean form of entertainment and social release forthem.The 1950's and 60's saw soccer being thrust into theforefront of apartheid politics. The White colonialsmade it impossible for the indigent population tosecure playing fields. This led to the resistance ofmany workers to the strict control of their livesthrough the colonial and capitalist demands of thewhite overlords with respect to their wages, workinghours, and social practices. In 1951 Africans,Coloureds, and Indians came together to form the SouthAfrican Soccer Federation, which opposed apartheid insport. 1961 to 1966 saw the rapid expansion of teamsunder the anti- racist South African Soccer League.Their efforts to isolate the apartheid regime led tothe succesful international sports boycott of theworld with South Africa from 1961 to 1992 until thefall of apartheid.With this development, FIFA welcomed South Africa backinto world soccer on 3 July 1992. On 7 July 1992, atDurban's King's Park stadium, South Africa played itsfirst official international contest in three decades.An integrated national team, nicknamed Bafana Bafana(Zulu for The Boys'), defeated Cameroon 1-0, thanks toa Doctor Khumalo penalty kick.The world will see the new South Africa in WC 2010.Implicit in this, is the world's recognition thatsoccer played a transformative role in ending decadesof apartheid rule and providing succour to thousandsof people during those dark days.

A wonderful comment on the impact the game can have.

For an in depth look at soccer and its role in endingapartheid, read Dr. Peter Alegi's thoughtprovoking book 'Laduma! Soccer, Politics and Society inSouth Africa' (Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu- Natal Press, 2004).

Weeping tears of joy and pride, Iraq's soccer champions arrived home on Friday to celebrate the Asian Cup victory that inspired their nation, but heavy security meant few Baghdadis were able to join the party.

"There is no happier moment," goalkeeper Noor Sabri told Iraq state television, choking back tears as other players behind him sobbed.

"I don't know what to say. All I can say is congratulations to the mothers of the martyrs," he said, paying tribute to victims of his country's conflict.

Player Ali Rahima said: "We hope that this unity will not be only for football. We hope everybody will unite to bring happiness to the Iraqi people."

After nightfall the team was driven to the heavily fortified "green zone" government and diplomatic compound, where Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki kissed each player on both cheeks and placed rings of flowers around their necks.

They were greeted inside the walled compound by a marching band and a throng of government officials, before being ushered in to the ceremony with Maliki and President Jalal Talabani.

"You have brought the smile back to the lips of Iraq," Maliki said. "You are an example of our unity."

Officials chanted and clapped, and a poet in robes took a microphone to shout verses in the team's honor.

The players passed the trophy they had won to a woman whose son was killed by a suicide bomber while celebrating the team's semi-final victory last week. She passed the trophy on to the prime minister and the president.

Earlier, hundreds of Iraqis had managed to negotiate a series of security checkpoints in blistering summer heat to reach the airport, hoping for a glimpse of their heroes.

"People have been dancing and chanting and singing all day. We haven't gotten tired," a government employee who was at the airport said shortly before the team arrived.

But most of the city remained locked down in a weekly curfew for the Muslim day of prayer. The majority of Iraqis would see the players only on television.Some of the players -- including captain Younis Mahmoud who scored the goal that clinched the championship -- stayed away, citing other commitments or the danger of coming home.

"It's a shame that this team brought us the happiness of our lives, and we still cannot celebrate them properly," said Baghdad resident Ammar Hussein, 33. He said he did not dare take to the streets for safety reasons.

The team, nicknamed the Lions of Mesopotamia, triggered nationwide euphoria with their against-the-odds victory last Sunday. After the final whistle in their 1-0 defeat of heavily favoured Saudi Arabia, at least seven people were killed by stray bullets as joyous Iraqis fired rifles into the air.

Iraqis have hailed the team -- a snapshot of the country's religious sects and ethnic groups -- as proof Iraq could overcome the divisions that have led to bloodshed.

Newspapers and TV commentators contrasted the players with the country's feuding and ineffective politicians.